As his quarterback Matt Malos sprinted towards the goal line after yet another unbelievable play, Interlake coach Sheldon Cross ran down the sidelines and yelled at the media standing alongside the field.
“I can’t coach that!,” Cross yelled, pointing at his quarterback sprinting down the field. “I can’t coach that!”
With the 41st Crossroads Cup between Interlake and Sammamish still in question, Malos all but slammed the door in the second quarter with another play that left his coach speechless. After a shotgun snap soared past him, Malos ran back, scooped up the ball and made his way through a wave of defenders, sprinting 56 yards for a score and helping Interlake beat Sammamish 35-6 on the Saints Homecoming night.
“He was just one against 11 on that play,” said running back Brett Kirschner. “He just picked it up and he was gone.”
It was business as usual for the Saints (5-0, 3-0 KingCo 3A/2A) offense in the game, as Kirschner rushed for 192 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries, and Malos added another 137 yards and a score on the ground as Interlake rolled.
Kirschner paced the Saints offense in the first half, scoring two touchdowns on runs of 14 and 3-yards – all with the Totems defense packing the box.
“Just a stud,” Cross said. “He had a good night and did a great job of hitting the holes.”
But the best performance of the night may have come from the Interlake defense, as the Saints held the Totems (1-4, 0-3) to zero yards of total offense and just one first down in the first half. Interlake’s Wes Zhao had a sack and also blocked a field goal, and senior cornerback Genki Kawashima picked off Totems quarterback Andrew Engles in the fourth quarter.
“The defense played real nice tonight,” Kirschner said.
The Totems showed an improved offense and defense from last year, when the team lost 55-17 to the Saints. Senior Zach Erickson rushed for 42 yards to lead the team. Engles, taking over for injured starter Nick Hartigan in game three, passed for 93 yards and a touchdown, gaining the majority of the yards on a 75-yard strike to Anthony Do for the Totems only points of the game.
“We fought a good four quarters, and it’s a massive improvement from last year to this year,” said coach Brian Tucci. “The guys see the steps that we’re making.”
Do not only scored Sammamish’s only touchdown of the game, but also picked off Malos twice, including once in the end zone.
“He’s one of those guys that’s always looking to make a play,” Tucci said. “He just pumps up everyone else around him.”
The Saints have now won the last three meetings between the schools.
“We’re walking off the field with respect,” Tucci said. “We couldn’t say that last season.”
Other games
Bellevue 48, Mercer Island 6
Brayden Van Ackeren returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and also added a 33-yard interception return to help Bellevue beat Mercer Island 48-6.
Joey Mangialardi, Damien Greene, Kendrick Van Ackeren and Skyler Yu all scored rushing touchdowns for the Wolverines (3-2, 2-0). Sean Coley caught a 67-yard touchdown pass from Kendrick Van Ackeren in the second quarter.
Mercer Island’s only touchdown came when quarterback Jeff Lindquist scored on a two-yard run in the first quarter. Mercer Island dropped to 1-4 overall and 0-3 in KingCo play.
Newport 21, Redmond 7
Nick Clifford’s 31-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter turned out to be the decisive score, as the Knights defeated Redmond 21-7 in Bellevue. James Dupar and Eric Rodan scored on 8 and 1-yard runs respectively, to help pace Newport (3-2, 1-1 KingCo 4A). Redmond’s only score came when quarterback Michael Conforto scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter. Redmond fell to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in league play.
